After you read a book....

[frozendaisy]

If you know, because there is so much new to read always, so if you know you won't read a book again, or you have obtained all the information to you, as in non-fiction you have studied or your interests have changed, do you donate, lend, get rid of the books?

For instance there is so much information now on the net, do you get rid of older instruction manuals.

Or can you not bear it and keep them.

Books are for life, not just for … information. Ideally.

I sold all my undergrad text books after finals because I needed the money. Coincidentally, they wouldn’t really have been worth hanging onto for years with regard to content as the subject was constantly evolving, but I might have kept them for sentimental value.

I have, too many times, been forced by accident or circumstance to abandon lovingly collected books, ranging from a few to a whole library. Their loss will still sting me on my deathbed.

So, on the whole, left to myself, I would never, ever evict a book once it crosses the threshold. And I’ve learnt my lesson over lending books to people. Books are family …

My attitude has always been books are for life, but as long life long bookworm I'm drowning in them.

Last couple of years I've decided to try and reduce the size of my library but I've only managed to do so by 2 a year so far...

I used to keep every book I bought, but now I know I haven't got the room for them all. I keep books that mean something to me, the ones that resonate, special books, ones I want to re-read but everything else can be donated.

DH recently had a huge clear out of old study texts and donated them to a second hand book shop.

I suppose, in my late 50s, I'm thinking ahead (but not too near hopefully) to not wanting my DC to be left with a huge house clearance mess when the time comes.

I love books, but I can't keep them all and I do have a cull about once a year. I keep books that I've loved and ones that I know I will want to go back to or lend to people, but I get rid of the others.

ive Got my basic library of classics and now I only keep books that I love - which sadly is rare. Contemporary fiction is rarely worth keeping for me, I pass it on to a friend or charity shop. But now I’m wondering as my kids get older if I’ll start to keep them again for them to read….

love books but I think it worth being discriminating for your bookshelves

Also love children’s books but as my youngest works his way through the books, as he finishes them I’m getting rid of any that aren’t our favourites.

I consciously assess it as a keeper or a discard. The discards go to the charity shop. I don't have space to keep every book I read. The question I ask is whether I got pleasure from things like the prose, characterisation or descriptions; or did I simply keep going to find out what happened?

I only keep books that I really love and I know I will reread. Everything else gets passed on somewhere. I simply don’t have space to keep everything.

Older instruction manuals is easy - out they go.

We still own Pathfinder green books going back to 1997, mind... you keep them for a year or two, then for the next year or two they're still vaguely useful, then you're just accustomed to having them there and there's never a time to cull.

When it comes to fiction, there's always the chance that you might want to read it again. Well, mostly. H is chucking a fantasy novel he thought was dire and I'm getting rid of GSaW even though it was good.

I used to keep all books. Now I tend to have a cull every so often - I only keep what I loved, or at least really enjoyed, and/or those that genuinely gave me something useful/inspiring. I also keep anything that pleases me aesthetically. I dither over very few, so I think it works well as a system!

If you forget your tablet on a bus, it's 70/30 it will "disappear" if it's a book chances are 90/10 it will still be there.

I like books as battery does not drain, and if I fall asleep, no risk of breaking it

I do cull, but not rigorously enough. I moved around a lot up until my forties, which forced me to limit the numbers I clung onto, but now that I've lived in the same place for the last six years, they've started to pile up. My criterion is "If I saw this in a second-hand bookshop tomorrow, would I want to buy it?" If I cull too much, I can picture myself trying to buy back my old books.

I kept them all and loved them. But 6 house moves in 10 years - two of which were intercontinental - and lugging boxes of them around became very tedious. So I cut them down, and down and down - until I am left with about 20 that are very sentimental (mostly from childhood).

I culled pretty much everything when I moved house about 4 years ago but have started collecting again. I am only buying beautiful or first editions to keep or cheap paperbacks that I can pass onto my son when he gets a bit older. I have bought a lot of Stephen King's recently as they are cracking reads and I remember enjoying these as a teen. I so want my son to keep reading so I am making sure I have stuff to hand for the difficult years ahead

I had to do a purge recently and I agonised over nearly all of the ones I donated 🤦‍♀️ I read a lot on kindle now, unless it’s a really special book, and listen to even more on audible. I’ve kept loads of special books from my childhood for the kids and DD1 has her own little library in her room.

This is what I need to get to

I give almost every fiction book away because there is always something new.

Art books I can't part with and they are big.

Oh what to do.

I'm not sure if you're really asking IF we get rid of books, or HOW.

I always hope to get rid of books I won't return to, because I have so many books, everywhere piling up. And I usually hope to sell them, even though I don't get much.

I only get rid of books that I really dislike or know that I will not read again and they are of no use to dd. They go to family/friends or the charity shop.

most of my books I keep. I just buy new bookshelves. Its nice seeing dd reading the books I collected during my masters degree, even though she's only at primary school. I try to have a rule of not having any books in my house that are unsuitable to be read by anyone.

for temporary books, I usually rely upon libraries. I get the books, knowing they are going back and I may not even read them at all. But then again, I may.

I get rid of all mine which in one way I'm glad about because they take up so much room - on the other hand I now use my library which I'm happy about. I do really mourn my old collection though

Can any younger mums help me remember the title of an illustrated book based on one quote, an old man saying 'Ginger peachy really'? You're my last hope! Thanks in case :)

I am sure many will disapprove but I rarely buy physical books anymore I tend to download them on my kindle.
There are quite a large group of us who swap books around and I assume the books end up in Charity Shops.
Technical books I give to a friend of mine Dad who runs a second hand book seller and has a huge network of contacts so it normally finds a good home.

All of my books, whether academic or for pleasure, are only kept if they mean something to me personally and i really benefited from it in some way. I like the visual reminder. To me it's akin to keeping photo albums or treasured items - i have my dear grandfather's winter cap because it evokes something that would be forgotten otherwise. I hippie to do a "Swedish clean", if I've got that right, when I'm old.

@Sharon999999 you’re better off starting your own thread in Children’s Books

I also keep some, charity shop some if I don't think I'll reread.
This has backfired when dd 2 has decided she wants to read a book that I used to own, so I have to try to predict what she will want to read.